Murky origins and eccentric doctrines place group at fringes of Christianity. Most people know little about the Seventh-day Adventists beyond that they worship on Saturdays, not Sundays. But there’s more to this unique sect. Adventist History The Seventh-day Adventist church traces its roots to American preacher William Miller (1782–1849), a Baptist who predicted the Second Coming would occur between March 21, 1843, and March 21, 1844. Because he and his followers proclaimed Ch …

A Pew Research poll released last week showed that just one-third of U.S. Catholics agree with their church that the Eucharist is the body and blood of Christ.We thought it might be a good time to give a refresher on what the Church actually teaches.The word Eucharist comes from the Greek word eucharistein, which means “thanksgiving.” It is the memorial sacrifice of Christ’s body and blood, presented under the form of bread and wine, which is offered to the Father for the forgiveness of sins. Af …

How the world began is a question people everywhere ask. It’s a human universal.Pagan cultures thought the world was made by their gods and goddesses. Some myths claimed that the gods reproduced sexually to make the elements of the world. Others held that there was a fierce battle among the gods, and the world was formed from the corpses of the losers. Mankind was then created as a slave race to relieve the gods of drudgery.The book of Genesis set the record straight: The world was not produced …

The Bible can be intimidating.It’s a big, thick book—much longer than most books people read. It’s also ancient. The most recent part of it was penned almost 2,000 years ago. That means it’s not written in a modern style. It can seem strange and unfamiliar to a contemporary person. Even more intimidating is that it shows us our sins and makes demands on our lives.No wonder some people hesitate to take the plunge and start reading the Bible!But each of the things that can make it intimidating is …

There’s an old joke that fits me well: Before I got married, I had eight theories about raising kids; now I have eight kids and no theories.When I enrolled my first child in a wonderful Catholic elementary school many years ago, I marveled at all the large families I encountered. I remember seeing one mother of eight come onto campus one day with all her little ones in tow. Her youngest, a two-year-old, was barefoot and had peanut butter smeared around his mouth. I remember thinking, smugly: “If …